New Crystal Meth App Transforms Selfies

A new mobile app created by Haydn Cooke and Trinity Lonel shows users the devastating effects that meth can have on appearance after just one year of use.

Drug rehab centers in San Jose, Calif. and across the country are familiar with the appearance of a “meth head.” Often meth users experience Ekbom’s syndrome, which produces the feeling of bugs crawling beneath the skin, and leaves people with the hallmark sores associated with the drug.

This new app, called Ice Effex, attempts to portray this physical transformation as users take a selfie and apply a filter based on three, six and twelve months of meth use.

After initial download, the app opens with an engaging message: “Have you ever had the urge to rub sulphuric acid and brake cleaner into your skin, hair and teeth? Didn’t think so. Using ICE causes the same quick, sever and painful damage, inside and out.”

Cooke and Trinity created the app in the hopes that younger audiences—often more concerned with physical appearance—will be discouraged from experimenting with meth after seeing themselves in Ice Effex.

For those concerned with drug addiction, drug rehab centers located in San Jose and other areas of the Pacific Coast can provide further helpful information on the dangerous effects of meth.